Author: anandnataraj

Entrepreneur, Blogger, Traveller, Pet Lover, Networker, Social Drinker, Party Animal, Movie Addict, Startup Enthusiast, Organic Gardner, Avid Reader....

Laziness wins


Yesterday I took oath that I’ve to goto GYM from today and keep myself fit… Unusually I even woke up early only to fine my sister took the car out for temple… So, I had very good first reason to convince myself for bunking for the day…

But I didn’t want to give up and I thought I can take some time and got there… Then I switched on the TV to see the News of Osama’s death… Then this was the second reason for bunking my workout…

Then I kept fighting to myself and when I wanted to get ready all my workout kits were scatteres and my ipod was missing… Reason three was anger for not having things on hand…

By now I was convinced that it was not my day to goto GYM & I postponed things for tomorrow… FINALLY LAZINESS WON!!!

Drive to Mamundur & Drink at Mustang


After a long Sunday sleep I got up by 4 PM after getting a wake up call from a friend… He asked me to get ready to go a see some land at Mamundur and to have a chat with his friend who shares common interest… It was a dull drive to mamundur but when we returned it was ball of a time… We had discussed a lot and we left our conversation in half way as my new found friend had to take his family for a movie…

Then we had not choice other than out favorate place Green Park… But sad thing is I’ve quit my social drinking and have become a Teetotaler… We got one of the best seats in front of the big screen and what one needs when Chennai Super Kings wins the match…

There was no much happening as we were seriously watching match and only when we asked for bill we realized;

  • I had 6 mock-tails…
  • My friend had 8 large…
  • We ate 2 pukhet fish…

Thought I don’t remember of having a lot os accomplishments in this day… The day ran in a jiffy & there are regrets…

Ball of a time @ Mustang Green Park


Was working the entire Friday night & crashed to bed by Saturday morning… I slept for more than 12 hours for catch up for lack of sleep… It was a vague plan for the evening & I went to Inshape and there it was a big crowd… Crowd leads to confusion and everyone was pulled me on different direction… But I stayed to my commitment with my friend & we went to Escape in Green Part… Me & Roshan didn’t enjoy the company of others at Escape…

We decided to do with some-other thing… Then we caught up with a friend at Mustang & from then on it was hard core fun;

  • We bartered for the drink (we had) by giving movie tickets in Satyan( Infact we got the tickets for free) to my friend…
  • Then another friend of mine joined & we had another bill for Rs.2000/- for which we tried to barter movie tickets for the bill… Sadly our offer was rejected & we have to make my friends friend to take up the bill…
  • One of my friend who went high asked the hotel guys to bring the Tawa to cook fresh dosas in front of him…
  • Then in the smokers area we caught up with a budding movie hero…
  • Finally my friend reminded me that I was not drunk ;)… But I was the one who behaved like a dunked :)…

Day of unpredictable happenings


After having long conversation with my Sales team & with other heads I crashed to bed by early in the morning… Then was woken up by my uncle who wanted to talk to me about my marriage… Then there was a round of advice, convincing, criticism, parenting etc etc… Though I feel bad for letting my parents down I had to do it in the best interest of lot many things… Might by time is the best weapon to prove them that “Itz all for good”…

There was a day long power cut due to Maintenance & I had to content myself with a Fan which runs on inverter… But was so tired that I slept… Then I heard getting calls on my mobile but I ignored everything to continue with my sleep…

Finally picked a friends call and I told him am planning to sleep for one more hour as the time is just 2.30… He yelled at me telling it is already 4 in the evening… He asked me to get ready and wanted to out somewhere…

I got out of bed, took bath, prayed, dressed & moved out without knowing what am I upto… Then we started driving to Express Avanue (EA) without any Idea… After reaching EA we thought of going to movie & being a weekend almost all movies were full… Then my friend called his friend in Inox and asked if there is any tickets for the movie Vanam which got released today…

We got the tickets for 6.50 PM show & we were in EA at that time… Since the place was neat we drove to Inox and we didn’t have much time other than to rush to the movie… Vanam is a remake of telegu Vedam & I’ve seen the telegu version last year… Am not reviewing this movie because I’ve already given my review a year back;

http://www.anandnataraj.com/vedam-a-class-telegu-movie

Overall it was not a productive day but it was an rejuvenating experience & my brain is much free now… I started mu office work now and it is going in full swing…

Thanks Giving


I wanted to post this Blog during March 2 as that was supposed to be a devils day in my life 3 years back… I was on that day I was backstabbed by one of the person whom I most trusted in this world… It was that say that taught me lot of lessons;

  • Humans can always change in this World…
  • Day taught me the difference between Rich & Wealthy…
  • The day showed me what Depression is…
  • The day showed me true & fake faces around me…

Over all it was that one day which pushed me to the bottom morally, emotionally & financially… Itz been 3 long years and still I couldn’t believe I here & fighting… That one day has changed my Life for ever… After 3 years when I look back I’m more than happy for what has happened in my life… Today I’m more independent & pursuing my goals independently…

Though I was betrayed & backstabbed by a Human it is same Humans who stood by me & helped me to fight back… Without them I could have not proved what I’m today… All this was not possible without following people and I take this opportunity to Thank them for the amount of support they gave me during the time of need… So, these are the special ones to whom I owe a lot;

Major Karthik: Truly I totally gave up as I was morally & financially broke… I thought I couldn’t create an empire which I created all these years… I started looking for Jobs abroad… But it was this gentleman who changed everything… He said he has seen me as a Boos & he loved to seem me as a boss… He said what ever it is he will be with me & he even quit his job when he had dependent parents & a pregnant wife… The amount of confidence he had it on me gave me that much needed strength… He helped me raise my morals…

Then he was instrumental in helping me to form a core team… It was he who convinced Bala Subramaniam, Sathick & Senthil Guru to join Cogzidel… He played & is playing a vital role in my come back story…

Dear Major,

Thanks for standing by me during my troubled times & for continuing that support till date.. You are always special for me & I owe a  lot… Thanks for everything mate…

Regards,
Anand

Bala Murugan: He is someone who is totally opposite to me in terms of academics, character,  knowledge everything… I’ve known him only though my ex-friend who had let me down… Bala was head of finance of a ESPN company Cricinfo.com & itz been a 7 month association… After Major it was Bala who was ready to partner with me & like Major he was with me during my troubled times… When a person of such credentials wanted to join me when everyone have almost written me off was a big moral booster… I’ve nice nostalgic moments were I’ve travelled to Bangalore for many business meetings…

Bala you are one special person in my life & thanks for being with me…

Bala Krishnan: Both had a sore experience because of the same person in our life… Bala quit my previous company which I founded & he took up a good / stable Job in a reputed company… After all confrontations were over , after settling all legal battles & when I was ready to Start Cogzidel… I asked Bala if he can join my start-up… To be frank I was not expecting a positive response from him… But to my surprise he immediately agreed to join me… This was another moral boosting situation…

Bala I still remember my visits to your room where you got me lunch from Saravana Bhavan… And our meeting in Sri Krishna Sweets, Gandhi Nagar where you agreed to Join Cogzidel… Thanks for all the support you have given me Bala…

Boopathi: He was the fourth person to Join me… He was the man behind all the office of Cogzidel & he is another important person in my Life… He is a go getter & I got a lot of aggression from him… I got a lot a console because of him as he use to blast all my back stabbers… He helped us in build the much needed infrastructure for the company…

Boopathi do you remember our travel to Madurai where I showed you a dirty open space… The lunch at Major’s house & Dinner at Konar Kadai :)…

Sathick: I’ve never interacted with him though he worked for me in my previous company… One day Major called me to Bangalore to show me the Core team of Cogzidel Technologies… I saw this enthusiastic gentleman who was ready to join me… I must really thank him because of taking the risk or joining a startup & legal scare from the previous company… Even in Madurai he was with me when I was going thru the moments of loneliness…

Sathick do you remember when we travelled on a rainy day and went to a movie Crossing Tracks in PVR Cinemas?? Also I remember watching Laadam in Ambigai Cinemas & Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu in Mini Priya…

Venkat Ramanan: Next to Join us was Ramanan… He is silent, witty & comes with one liners n punches… I’m very much thankful for his dedication and for staying with us this long by having a flat salary all these years… He even lent his money when we were really struggling to make ends meet… Ramanan you are one special person whom I owe a lot & thanks for all the support you gave & continue giving… I prey god to help grow CCS to great heights where in I can pay back for all your unconditional help and support…

Vimala: She joined my previous company when I was out of that company… When CCS was started she wanted to join us but she was really scared… But I don’t know how she finally got that courage to join us… I must say she is also as dedicated like Ramanan & a work-o-holic… She single handedly managed most of the accounting operation for more than a year… I’ve seen her traveling in hot sun in public transport to save cost, she had stayed long hours to complete her work, she digested abuses of some hard clients & she has even worked during holidays to finish the work… She even took half pay when we were having cash crunch & she lent her credit card to make settlements…

I know she is overcoming traumatic times these days & still I’ve never seen her out of work… She is one big inspiration in my life & she demands a Big role in CCS… I wish CCS grows quickly just to give it back to Vimala & Ramanan…

Senthil Guru: Again I’ve not interacted much with Senthil but like Sathick he was another pick by Major… He helped us build our first product CogzidelTemplates & Beatz… He joined us ignoring the legal consequences he has to face form his previous employer… Though he is not with Cogzidel today I’m grateful to him for being with me in time of need…

It is because of all these people I was able to make this come back & prove to the world that my first journey was not just a fluke but it is a experience for me to create History… I wish god gives me more opportunity to give back to these folks and be associated with them for ever…

Real life adolescent love story


One of my friend has shared his Adolescent love story which was touching… Though we all would have had such experience in our life it is nice to look back and see how crazy we were… I’m not specifying my friends name as I’ve not taken his permission to post it in my blog… Folks this is how the story goes;

As the case of many adolescents, it too happened to me, when I was 19 years. If you guess it to love, you are wrong. It was mere infatuation, though it took many years for me to realise. I was attending Tuition Classes for Accountancy for B.Com I year. The centre was a nursery school and tuition for many classes conducted in one large room. We were 8-9 guys and 4 of them were students of Thyagaraya College, Washermanpet. One fine day, there was an enrolment of a 8th standard girl. She hailed Marwari community and looked an angel on earth.

A flower that she had for her name; a flower that she had for her face. Her electrifying beauty grabbed my attention (and all others too). I felt like floating on the air and it appeared something like Love at First Sight. From that day, followed a sea change among us in terms of attitude, attire, style etc and we guys tried permutations and combinations just to impress her. I was so confused whether girls love to have humourous guys or rigid Macho guys as boyfriend and eventually decided on a combo. I concentrated on my biceps and triceps at home and at class was raising silly doubts or making fun that the whole class including my Angel would laugh.

Every alternative day, the time I enter the class, I search the other corner for my angel only to notice a bloom on her face. Shortly, my friend’s sister who was also studying 8th std joined there. As few weeks passed, I noticed both of them gossip and sparing naughty smiles at me. I felt like a hero and started thinking of ways of conveying my love(!) to my sweet Angel. One fine rainy day, at the close of tuition classes, my Angel was waiting at the school entrance for she had no umbrella. “Take this,” I offered her my Umbrella, to which, “Illa vaendaam”, came as her response.

“thaevaiya unakku?” commented a friend and a roar of laughter followed from the guys standing behind. I felt ashamed and left immediately. Later I noticed MK’s attitude (our master) towards me was turning better to worse, probably someone spied that incident or he smelled my inclination towards my Angel. He transformed into a villain, and started sending those two, 15-20 minutes before he finished classes for us. And one fine Sunday, when I went to take test in the afternoon, hoping to meet my Angel there (We were asked to come at 10 am, but I understood none had come) MK started firing his guns for not being disciplined and adhering to the timings. Unable to bear the insult, in the very presence of my Angel, I became furious and eventually threw my accountancy note book towards MK, warning him not to exceed his limits and waved “good bye.”

Later I felt for my overreaction that distanced me from my Angel. In the meanwhile, I located her school and spent waiting at the bus stop at the school closing hours. After a momentary stare and a sign of recognition for a second or more, she would keep busy chatting with her friends throughout the bus travel. The pain of Love(!) was unbearing, but I had no enough guts to convey 143 to her.

One fine day (!) I bought a Bangalore rose and gave it to my friend’s sister, requesting her if she can deliver it to my Angel and convey my love for her. As she hesitated, I did notice extreme grief on her face. But I was just too pushy and left. Few days later, when I asked her, about the outcome, she held my hands softly and told me, “accept someone who loves you, rather than going for a girl whom you will never get.” I was shocked. After a pause, she continued that my Angel’s marriage was already decided by her family and that she will marry her close relative upon completion of +2.

My head reeled for a while, for I never thought that my friend’s sister could fall in love with me. I told her calmly that I was just like her another brother and asked her to maintain that. Shortly, I had to take up an employment following my father’s resignation under VRS and life become mechanical and a boring routine. I felt the craze for my Angel vanish in a slow pace, of course, not without reminisces, once a while. For 22 years now, I did not meet her. I am positive that some day I would meet her somewhere. But not sure, if I would have the guts to ask, if she recognizes me and share my feelings that I had for her once.

An happening day


It was a long sleep compensating previous day sleep deprivation… Had to reach trichy before 5 PM & I was sleeping till 12 noon in Madurai… When I came out it was still cloudy & chill & was in no mood to take bath… I asked Jegan to drop me in Mathuthavani & he came home by 12.30 & en route went to office to see how the new generator was erected…

Then I boarded a bus to Trichy by 1.30 PM & reached the destination by 4 PM… In between I had a short 20 min meeting with a friend & I went home, took bath & bang we reached Thiruvanikovil by 5.45 PM… That is what I like in smaller cities as the traveling distance & traffic problems are minimal…

Then we had nice darshan in the temple & we had a satisfying Golden Chariot Ride… By 8 PM we were out of temple & from there my parents and sister went to my sisters house to pack the bags, my granny went to my uncles house to pack her bags, my other uncle aunty cousin & me travelled in a bus to Junction… We all re-assembled at Sri Krishna Garden Restaurant by 9 PM and we all had a wonderful family Dinner…

It was fun pulling down each other & wide variety of dishes… Finally got startled by seeing the bill as it was only 1900 bucks for a 20 member dinner…

Then we boarded our bus back to Chennai at 11 PM & again was dawn tired that I slept immediately only to wake up in Chennai…

Over all was happy with the day as;

  • I had wonderful sleep…
  • Was alone after a long while at home…
  • Long waiting Generator Erection was successfully completed…
  • Climate was cool & had rains in between while traveling back to Trichy… So it was not a difficult travel…
  • Had nice darshan in the temple…
  • Had nice dinner with my relatives after a long time….

Over all am happy & will long to have such a day again :)…

Day of travel


We all (Parents & Granny) packed to Trichy for riding the golden Chariot at Thiruvanaikovil… Since my father had to attend an engagement function in Pondicherry he said he will join us in a toll… I was not apprehensive because my parents were creating a lot of fuzz in explaining which toll my father will be waiting; my irritation peaked when they were creating a discussion for a simple thing… My second point was that the toll was on half way distance to Trichy & it would only make things difficult… Like I thought;

  • Driver & Helper created a lot of fuss for doing this favor… They said they can’t wake us up…
  • Me & my mom has to be awake until the bus reached Vikravandu (GMR) toll (We reached the toll by 2.30 AM)…
  • My father reached the toll plaza by 9 PM & he waited there for five & half hours…

Still I’m not sure what was running in my parents mind to do such crazy things… Then had a short nap for 2 hours… Then went to my uncles house in Thillai Nagar refreshed, took bath & was having some funny conversation with my uncle, aunt & cousin…

My cousin had some travel plans & I decided I can’t stay in that place for long… I said I had some work in Madurai & immediately left to madurai… I reached Madurai by noon & went to Milan’em mall and waited for my friend…

From there we went to Mani Impala theatre for the movie KO… When we came out of theatre if was raining heavily outside & there was no signs of rain getting over… My friend (Sathish) insisted that we can drive along with rain… I was happy for that experience but was not happy knowing his standards of driving…

From went to Meenakshi Bazaar got some CD’s & got our dinner & went to home… On reaching home I crashed to bed without watching even a single movie as I was too tired…

Over all it was a mixed bag day… But I kept my cool because of the rain ;)…

Need to make quick bucks


All of a sudden there are compelling needs to buy things which I think are negative assets… Yep I’ve compelling need to change my car, mobile, notebook & buy a two wheeler… Now I’m in a situation to go for a loan or earn some quick bucks… So, this is going to be my commitment;

Swift Dzire – Rs.7,00,000/-
Car Accessories – Rs.50,000/-
BlackBerry 9800 – Rs.30,000/-
iPad – Rs.45,000/-
Royal Enfield – Rs.1,20,000/-

So, I need Rs.9,45,000/- to buy my needs… Now I need some legitimate ways to earn that much instead of going for a loan…

Saw my Childhood Crush


It was a very drowsy day as I worked form home… By evening I got fed up and wanted to move out & as always I can’t think anything other than a movie… Booked tickets for Rio-3D at PVR Cinemas… But was late for the movie by 10 min and I was a bid frustrated as I felt the day had not meaning… But the God has kept something for me to get excited…

When I came out for Interval break I saw my girl (now women) with whom i had great crush… I was in my class 7 and she was in her class 6… She was a tiny little angel for me who lived in my neighborhood… Everyday I goto a our association play ground to play cricket & she comes there to play with her friends…

I’ve always tried to make come connect with her and felt like talking to her… But I lacked the guts to go talk to a girl and am the same till date… Then one Christmas I heard someone asking my mom “Where is Anand Anna?” and when I walked out it was this girl… She came to me & gave me cakes and she left… I was a bit upset but was too young to feel low for a girl… But what saddens me is I’ve not conveyed to her that I had a crush on her and that was not the relationship I was expecting from her…

Then they left our neighborhood and I lost touch with her… Then after 16 long years I saw her in the theatre & she came with her husband and her kid… I noticed her a while back but I was not sure if I’ve to talk to her… But she recognized me & asked if I’m Anand… Only consoling thing was she called me by my name and not ANNA… It was a brief formal conversation enquiring about my parents & sister and vice-versa…

She didn’t introduce her hubby or kid who were watching everything… Also she said Kid was excited to see the movie and she left without passing her contacts… Nor I was interested to ask for her FB or Mobile contact…

I had crush on many of my classmates, neighbor girls, travel mates and I’ve never conveyed my feelings to them… Till date I’ve been a coward… Not sure if girls will take it with pride if I open-up :)… Hope I can meet all my lady crush often…